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“We have taken the life-blood out of Christianity and put Kool-Aid in its place so that it tastes better to the crowd.” –David Platt

Historically, the church always thrives when it is in step with the world; and this is a problem. When I say “thrive” I am speaking of growth. When Christianity is bought, and sold and repackaged, it may have a strong presence, a populous appeal even; but such an entity dies out with every trendy wind that blows into town. Eventually, it must reinvent itself again and again and again until it becomes totally unrecognizable from its original state.

Reinvention of the church leads to erroneous measurements of health. What seems healthy today may not be healthy tomorrow based upon drifts, leanings, and yes, even fashion. A church is not healthy because it has blue lights on the platform and a skinny-jeans-wearing pastor. But neither is it healthy because it has 1970’s wooden-panel on the walls and a man of God who wears a three-piece suit. What makes a church healthy is its likeness to Christ.

Ironically, likeness to Christ involves suffering, affliction, and persecution. But who is willing to “market” their ministry as one that endures affliction, carries a cross, battles spiritual wickedness, and walks out of step with the world. We do not advertise our congregation in that way because the world is looking for something else. And this, in totality, is what the greatest problem of our day is: We are allowing the wrong measurements to become the identity of our places of worship.